Typical warehouse operations include handling and storage of products in order to efficiently receive inventory, store it, collect products from different containers to prepare orders, and ship orders to customers. Handling and storage of products in a storage system involve a number of in-storage inventory transfers performed within the warehouse. After containers with products are received and moved to an initial storing location, products are often moved within the facility for storage or order selection. Further, after an order for product shipment is received, it is necessary to collect the required products to fulfill the order and move orders to a shipping area.
Several transfer movements are required in a typical warehouse. First, products are moved from the receiving area to a remote storage location. Additional movements may be required prior to order assembly, depending upon warehouse operating procedures. To fulfill an order, products are usually transferred from a storage area to a picking area. Finally, prepared orders are moved from a picking area to a shipping dock for loading to outbound transportation means.
In traditional storage systems, transfer movements are carried out using a combination of lift trucks, conveyors, and manual processes. However, such transfer operations are slow, and involve complex logistics and substantial labor cost when a large number of orders must be processed.
Therefore, it would be desirable to develop storage systems capable of performing in-storage transfer operations in a quick and efficient manner.